Speaker: Claudia E. Castro

Claudia Castro received her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Loyola University Chicago and her law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Claudia began her legal career as an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted hundreds of criminal and civil cases. Claudia served as Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board, and prior to joining the State, she was General Counsel in Springfield for the Illinois Coalition against Sexual Assault.

Throughout her career, Claudia has worked closely with the Latino communities providing assistance and education in criminal justice issues. Her litigation experience and fluency in Spanish earned her a position as an instructor with the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) Alliance Partnership Program, where she participated in training programs in trial advocacy for prosecutors throughout Mexico.

Claudia served as the President of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, and she was the Young Lawyers Division National President of the Hispanic National Bar Association. In 2012, Claudia was named as one of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s Forty Illinois Attorneys under 40 to Watch.

Aside from her active practice of law, Claudia serves as a member of the Melrose Park Village Planning and Zoning Board and is the 16th District Commissioner for the Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues. She is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Local Government Council and Education Law Council, and she is Vice-Chair for the Chicago Bar Association’s Local Government Law Committee. A lifelong resident of Melrose Park, Claudia has a daughter who graduated from the Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy and is currently attending college.